Roller shade



July 14, 1959 o. s. CAESAR ET'AL 2,894,578

ROLLER SHADE Filed May 6, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a mw w f w a 4 m w 1%:Q: w m. M Ww 0 lllllll llllllllllllll Ill 3. o w M J \l\\\,)\b 3 w w g iy a i liiilii:{l

July 14, 1959 o. s. CAESAR ETAL 2,894,578

ROLLER SHADE Filed May 6, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TORS.

Orz/zZZe 5 Caesar BY J05 hGYSZZdeJ,"

United States Patent 2,894,578 ROLLER SHADE Orville S. Caesar,Barrington, and Joseph G. Stieber, Skokie, ill.

Application May 6, 1955, Serial No. 506,469 2 Claims. (Cl. 160-308) Thisinvention relates to improvements in roller shades and its purpose is toprovide an improved shade or curtain construction which may beeconomically manufactured and conveniently operated.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improvedshade or curtain mounted on a roller and adapted to be operated fromaposition on the opposite side of a wall or partition from the space orarea where the shade is located. For example, the roller shade may belocated on the outer side of the screen of a porch and may be raised orlowered on the outer side of the screen by mechanism which is operatedfrom a position inside of the screen on the porch. A further object ofthe invention is to provide a roller shade comprising operatingmechanism provided with novel means for locking the shade in any desiredposition. Other objects relate to various features of construction andarrangement which will appear more fully hereinafter.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the followingspecification taken with the accompanying drawings in which oneembodiment and a modification of a portion thereof are illustrated. Inthe drawings,

Figure 1 shows a horizontal section through the upper part of the wallof a porch or the like illustrating a top plan view of a shade embodyingthe present invention together with a top plan view of another shadeextending at right angles thereto, with parts thereof broken away;

Fig. 2 shows a front elevation of the shade which is primarily shown inFig. 1, together with an end elevation of the shade which is partiallyshown;

Fig. 3 shows an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2,illustrating the means for supporting the intermediate portion of theshade;

Fig. 4 shows a horizontal section similar to the upper left-hand portionof Fig. 1 illustrating a modified arrangement of the driving mechanismfor rotating the roller of the shade;

Fig. 5 shows an enlarged side elevation of the roller operating devicewhich is mounted at the end of the shade roller;

Fig. 6 shows an end elevation of the device illustrated in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 shows a sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of Fig; 6;

Fig. 8 shows a sectional view on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7, illustratingthe relative positions of the parts when the stop member is in itsinactive position to permit the free rotation of the roller in eitherdirection, and illustrating by dotted lines the manner of causing theoperating chain to interlock with the stop member; and

Fig. 9 is a sectional view similar to that of Fig. 8 showingthe relativepositions of the parts when the stop member has been actuated by thechain to prevent rotation of the roller in one direction.

The invention is illustrated in the drawings in connection with a wall10 which may be the wall of a porch or other wall which is incorporatedin the structure of a dwelling house or other building. This wallcomprises a plurality of upstanding posts 11 formed of wood or the likewhich are connected by intervening panels 12 which may be panels ofscreen cloth or glass or other material. A panel 12 extends at rightangles to one of the end posts 11 to suggest two walls extendingtransversely to each other as they might be in the construction of aporch, for example. The present invention comprises a roller 14 having ashaft 15 which may extend continuously through the roller or be formedin sections which are mounted in axial alignment in the end portions ofthe roller which may be formed of wood or other suitable material. Atone end of the roller 14, the shaft 15 is journaled in a bracket 16secured to one of the posts 11 and at the other end of the roller theshaft 15 extends into a gear casing 17 where a bevel gear 18 is securedthereon. This bevel gear meshes with another bevel gear 19 locatedWithin the casing 17 and secured upon the end of an operating shaft 20.The shaft 20 is journaled in a bearing formed in one of the posts 11 andthe extremity of this shaft which is located on the outer side of theWall 10 extends into a housing 22 which has a hub portion 22 fitted intoan aperture in the post 11. This hub portion has mounted therein abushing 23 in which the shaft 2.0 is journaled. The housing 22 issecured in fixed position on the posts 11 by means of screws 24. Withthis arrangement, the rotation of the shaft 20 is adapted to operate thegears 18 and 19 and thereby effect the rotation of the roller 14 uponwhich the shade 25 is mounted. This shade is in the form of a largesheet of woven cloth, nylon fabric or other flexible material whichshould be substantially weatherproof if the shade is employed on theoutside of a building. One edge of the shade is secured to the roller 14and the other edge has a hem formed therein by reversely folding thematerial of the shade and stitching it upon itself to form a slotadapted to receive a slat 26 which gives some weight to the lower edgeof the shade and facilitates its descent by gravity when the roller 14is actuated by the mechanism previously described. In order to guide thelower edge of the shade during its travel, the slat 26 is preferablyprovided at each end with an eyelet 27 which is engaged by a wire 28drawn in a taut condition between two pins 29 mounted in the posts 11.The provision of the guide wires 28 and the eyelets 27 permits the loweredge of the curtain and the slot 26 to ride upwardly on the guide wiresunder the influence of wind blowing inwardly against the shade. Whenthat occurs, the shade bows inwardly as the eyelets move upwardly on thewires and, as the wind current subsides, the eyelets and the lower edgeof the curtain move downwardly again. There is thus brought about abreathing action of the shade which permits the inflow and outflow ofair currents without damage or any objectionable flapping of the shade.The other shade 25a which is illustrated in the upper right-hand portionof Fig. 1 is similarly sup ported by a bracket 16 and has a roller 14fixed on a shaft 15 journaled in the bracket.

The operating shaft 20 is adapted to be rotated by a sprocket gear 30secured on the end thereof by a key 31. This sprocket gear has anannular flange 30w which extends outwardly to overlap the annular flange22w of the housing 22. The sprocket gear 30 may preferably be formed ofcompressed white nylon and the housing 22 may preferably be formed as achromium plated metal stamping. The teeth 30b of the sprocket gear areadapted to mesh with the balls 33a of an endless sprocket chain 33 inwhich the balls are connected by the flexible members 33b. The balls 33aare spaced apart to agree with the spacing of the teeth 3% and theendless chain extends around the sprocket gear and through two slots 22band 220 which are formed in the annular flange 22a of the housing. Thedepending portions of the chain thus extend downwardly from the slots22b and 22c and may be engaged by the hands of the operator for thepurpose of rotating the sprocket gear 30 and thereby rotating the roll14 to raise or lower the shade 25.

In order to control the rotation of the roller 14 and to lock it againstrotation to secure the shade in a fixed position, there is pivotallymounted upon the shaft 20, and around the bushing 23, a locking member34 which is in the form of a flat plate apertured at one end to receivethe bushing 23 and having a projecting portion 34a which extendsoutwardly through the slot 22/) in the annular flange of the housing 22.This projecting arm 34a terminates in a transversely extending portionprovided with a longitudinal slot 341') which receives the chain 33.This portion of the stop member is adapted to extend between the arms ofthe slot 34b so that when the locking member 34 is in the upper positionshown in Pig. 9 it will engage the shoulder 22d at the upper end of theslot 221) and thereby hold the chain against movement in the directionof the arrow 35, thus causing the roller 14 to be locked againstrotation in one direction.

When the locking member 34 is not engaged with the chain 33 it normallymoves by gravity to the position shown in Fig. 8 where it engages theshoulder 22a at the lower end of the slot 2211. When the locking memberis in this position, the portions of the chain which extend downwardlyfrom opposite sides of the sprocket gear will pass downwardly parallelto each other as shown by full lines in Fig. 8 so that the chain maythen be operated to rotate the sprocket gear 30 in either direction forwinding up the shade 25 or extending it further in a downward direction.When it is desired to lock the shade 25 in an adjusted position, theright-hand portion of the chain shown in Fig. 8 is moved to the positionillustrated by dotted lines at 36, in which position the chain may becaused to engage the slot 34b in the end of the locking member so thatupon upward movement of the right-hand portion of the chain from thatposition it will be interlocked with the locking member which willthereby be rotated in a counterclockwise direction to the position shownin Fig. 9, in which position the roller 14 and the shade 25 are securelylocked in position.

The locking member 34 is preferably mounted on the shaft and bushing 20and 23, respectively, in the same radial plane with an arcuate washer 37which fits within the annular flange 22a of the housing 22 and extendsaround the bushing 23 throughout threequarters of its circumference,terminating in radial end surfaces 37a which are spacedcircumferentially from the extremities 22d and 22e of the slot 22b. Thiswasher may preferably be formed of the same material as the sprocketgear 30.

Where the roller 14 and the shade 25 are of substantial length, it maybe desirable to support them between their ends and this may be done bythe supporting de vice 40 shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. it comprises abracket 41 having a flange 41a secured to the frame member 42 whichextends outwardly from the post 11 and over hangs the shade 25 androller 14. The bracket 41 has a lower horizontal portion 41b in which apin 43 is slidably mounted for vertical movement. This pin carries. aframe 44 on which are rotatably mounted two rela tively small rollers 45adapted to engage the under surface of the portion of the shade 25 whichis wound on the roller 14, as illustrated in Fig. 3. A coil spring 46 ismounted on the pin 43 between the part 411; of the bracket 41 and theunder side of the frame 44 so that the rollers 45 are normallymaintained with a resilient pressure in contact with the outerconvolution of the lower portion of the shade .25.

In order to insure the tight winding of the shade 25 on the roller 14,another roller 48 is mounted on an arm 49 to engage the upper side ofthe shade 25 at a place adjacent to the point where the winding begins.This arm 49 has an extension 49:: which pivotally engages apertures inthe vertical portion of the bracket 41 and a coil spring 50 extendsbetween the inner part of the ex- 4 tension 49a and the bracket 41 tocause the roller 48 to maintain a resilient pressure on the upper outersurface of the shade.

In Fig. 4 of the drawings, there is illustrated a modified form of thedriving mechanism by which the shade roller may be operated from aposition on the opposite side of a wall or the like from that on whichthe shade is located. This modified construction comprises a housing 51which is secured to one of the posts 11 and which contains a bevel gear52 secured on the end of the roller shaft .15 by which the connectedroller 14 is operated to wind and unwind the shade 25. This bevel gear52 meshes with another bevel gear 53 located in the housing 51 and fixedon an operating shaft 54 which extends in a diagonal direction throughthe posts 11 with its opposite end journaled in a bushing 55 carried bya bracket 56. The gears 52 and 53 may preferably be journaled in rollerbearing units 57 which are mounted in apertures formed in the walls ofthe housing 51 and the outer end of the shaft 54 extends into a housing58, similar to the housing 22, which is fixed on the bracket 5-6. Withinthe housing 58, the shaft 54 has secured thereon a sprocket gear 59adapted to be operated by an endless sprocket chain in the mannerpreviously described. This modification illustrates the possibleadvantage of locating the chain and the sprocket gear in variousconvenient positions on the wall opposite to the side of the wall wherethe roller shade is located.

Although one form of the improved roller shade and a modification of aportion thereof have been shown and described by way of illustration, itwill be understood that the invention may be constructed in variousforms coming within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In combination, a roller, a shade Wound on said roller, meansincluding a sprocket gear for rotating said roller, an endless chainmeshing with said sprocket gear and depending therefrom, a stop memberpivoted on the axis of said sprocket gear and movable between twopositions, and stationary means engageable by said stop member in eachof said positions, said stop member being engageable with said chain inone of said positions and being adapted to hold said sprocket gearagainst rotation in one direction when in the other of said positions.

2. in combination, a roller, a shade wound on said roller, meansincluding a sprocket gear for rotating said roller, an endless chainmeshing with said sprocket gear and depending therefrom, a housingextending around said sprocket gear and having two slots engagedseparately by the depending portions of said chain, and a stop memberpivoted on the axis of said sprocket gear and having a part extendingthrough one of said slots, said part of said stop member being adaptedto interlock with one depending portion of said chain when that saidpart is at one end of its slot with the chain deflected from its normaldepending position and then after pivotal movement thereof to engage theother end of the slot to prevent rotation of said roll in one direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS296,494 Whittier Apr. 8, 1884 300,962 Fox June 24, 1884 305,317 MallorySept. 16, 1884 356,833 Greenberg Feb. 1, 1887 559,678 Clark May 5, 18961,090,546 Kudla Mar. 17, 1914 1,134,994 Conkey Apr. 13, 1915 1,321,250Sheppard Nov. 11, 1919 1,333,516 Thomson Mar. 9, 1920 1,441,229 LaceyIan. 9, 1923 1,712,455 Connolly May 7, 1929 1,788,021 Hadden Ian. 6,1931 2,564,831 Butkus Aug. 21, 1951 2,577,046 Svirsky Dec. 4, 1951

